Program Notes

by April L. Racana

Program Notes

Program Notes

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)

Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
Although Rachmaninov is well known as a successful composer,conductor and performer, it seemed he felt he could only do his best whenconcentrating on one role at a time. In fact, it was during a composing
drought after an unsuccessful performance of his first symphony that hewas given the opportunity to focus on his conducting, for which he wasreceived warmly. It was in this same period, when he was battling his own
demons regarding his compositional abilities that he went several years with
virtually no works forthcoming. Only after sessions with Dr. Nikolay Dahl,
did Rachmaninov regain his compositional confidence with his Second PianoConcerto, which he finally wrote in the summer of 1900.
The second and third movements of that work were performed in
December of that same year and were received with such great successthat it gave him the needed push to add the first movement. He gave thefirst performance of the entire Second Piano Concerto in the fall of 1901,
complete with a dedication to Dr. Dahl, and displaying the duality of thepianist, as much accompanist as soloist. And although the work was received
successfully, he continued to have doubts just days before its opening, due tosome constructive criticism by a friend and former fellow student, which, notsurprisingly, gave him pause for thought after the last public performance ofone of his symphonies had been such a traumatic failure for him.

23
Jan
24
Jan
26
Jan

Following his work on the Second Piano Concerto, Rachmaninov was due
to embark on his first concert tour of America in the fall of 1909, with the plan
to unveil his latest work, the Third Piano Concerto, which is being performedby the TPO for this concert series. He was sequestered away in the family’scountry estate, Ivanovka, where he finally completed the piece, dating it 23
17

Program Notes
23Jan
24
Jan26
Jan

September 1909 (in the traditional Julian calendar of the time). This was only
nine days before he was to leave on his journey to America, hardly enoughtime to prepare sufficiently for a performance of a work of such magnitude.
So Rachmaninov, now replacing his composer’s hat for that of his performer’stails, resorted to practicing the work on board the ship using a silent keyboard.
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor was premiered on November
28th at the New Theatre in New York with Walter Damrosch conducting. In
January of the following year, Rachmaninov performed the work again, thistime at Carnegie Hall with Gustav Mahler conducting. One review in the New
York Herald commented that ‘its great length and extreme difficulties bar itfrom performances by any but pianists of exceptional technical powers.’ Infact, in ensuing years, Rachmaninov himself made various cuts and revisionsof cadenzas, perhaps in response to some of the critics.
However, many now believe those cuts to have been to the detrimentof the work as a whole, so that most often the work is now performed asoriginally composed, with the choice of the various revised cadenzas left
up to the preference of the soloist. And while Rachmaninov’s Third Piano
Concerto continues to be renowned for its technical and musical demandson the pianist, it has been said that the composer’s intentions were not‘virtuousity for the sake of virtuousity,’ (Evgeny Kissin); instead the writing
displays the passion and musical genius of Rachmaninov as both composer
and performer.
Work composed: 1909
World premiere: November 28, 1909 in New
York conducted by Walter Damrosch with the composer as the soloist
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, percussion (snaredrum, bass drum, cymbals), strings, solo piano18

Program Notes

Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14

Inspired by his love for actress Harriet Smithson, after seeing her
performance as Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Berlioz began composing
this work in 1830. Within this work one can see the influence of the famous
playwright that he had long admired, as well as the musical impact that
Beethoven’s symphonies had had on him. Berlioz also borrowed music fromhis own previous compositions and took the symphony to a new level with
his idée fixe permeating throughout, a representation, and perhaps courting,of his true love.
Symphonie Fantastique was premiered in December of 1830, andit seems the effects of his courting did not go unnoticed, as Berlioz andSmithson were married in 1833. The symphony went through numerous
revisions through 1855, (which included revisions to the musical score up
through 1832), with Berlioz himself writing programme notes for the variousversions. In his autobiography, the composer indicated his intentions thatthe text of these programme notes “must be considered as the spoken textof an opera, which serves to introduce musical movements and to motivate
their character and expression” [from Memoirs by Hector Berlioz]:

Program Notes

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869)

23
Jan
24
Jan
26JanI. Visions and Passions
A young musician sees the woman of his dreams and falls hopelessly
in love. Each time her image comes into his mind, it evokes a musicalthought [represented by an idée fixe] that is impassioned in character, butalso noble and shy, as he imagines her to be.
II. A Ball
The artist finds himself in the swirl of a party, but the beloved image
appears before him and troubles his soul.
III. In the Country
In the distance, two shepherds play a “Ranz des vaches” in dialogue.
The pastoral setting, the gentle evening breeze, the hopeful feelings hehas begun to have–all conspire to bring to his spirit an unaccustomed
19

Program Notes

calm, and his thoughts take on a more cheerful cast. He hopes not to belonely much longer. But his happiness is disturbed by dark premonitions.
What if she is deceiving him! One of the shepherds resumes his playing,
but the other makes no response.... In the distance, one can hear thunder.
Solitude. Silence.
IV. The Procession to the Stake
Convinced that his love is unrequited, the artist takes an overdose ofopium. It plunges him into a sleep accompanied by horrifying visions.
He dreams that he has killed his beloved, has been condemned and led
to the scaffold, and is witnessing his own execution. The procession
advances to a march that is now somber and savage, now brilliant andsolemn. At its conclusion the idée fixe returns, like a final thought of thebeloved, cut off by the fatal blow.

23
Jan
24
Jan
26
JanV. A Witches’ Sabbath
He sees himself in the midst of a frightful throng of ghosts, witches,
monsters of every kind, who have assembled for his funeral. Strangenoises, groans, bursts of laughter, distant cries. The beloved melody
again reappears, but it has lost its modesty and nobility; it is no morethan a vulgar dance tune, trivial and grotesque; it is she, coming to theSabbath. A joyous roar greets her arrival.... She joins in the devilishorgy.... A funeral knell, a parody of the Dies irae. A Sabbath rounddance. The Dies irae and the round-dance are combined.
Work composed: 1830
World premiere: December 5, 1830 at the ParisConservatoireInstrumentation: 2 flutes (2nd doubling on piccolo), 2 oboes (2nd doublingon english horn), 2 clarinets (1st doubling on E♭-clarinet), 4 bassoons, 4horns, 2 trumpets, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, 2 timpani, percussion(snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, tubular bells), harp, strings / banda: oboe

April L. Racana / As a Music Specialist, Ms. Racana completed her undergraduate
studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (BS/Piano Pedagogy) and her
graduate studies at San Francisco State University (MA/Music). In addition, she wasaccepted as part of a post-graduate fellowship at Northwestern University ’s Bienen
School of Music, as well as for the Japan Studies Program at International Christian
University. Having been a Music Specialist teaching both in California for nearly a decade,and at Nishimachi International School where she taught for more than 25 years, shefeels she has learned as much from her many students as she has taught them overmore than three decades, and especially appreciates the opportunity to share hermusical insights to an even wider community, as program annotator for the TPO.

20